Chinoiserie was a style popularized in 18th century British design among the elite.

Although generally attributed to the design styles of China, British designers were also inspired by Japanese and other Asian styles. This hybrid of styles led to a romanticized, and uniquely Western, view of Asian style.

Designers created fanciful landscapes, filled with exotic birds and magnificent pavilions. The swept lines of pagodas were incorporated into furniture, and other pieces. Asian styles of clothing, and figures, were popular. Some of the Asian styles were copied directly from Chinese paintings, while others were straight from the imagination of the designer.

During the 19th century, and the Victorian period, chinoiserie style became popular among the growing middle class, with the introduction of items made for the mass market.

In the latter half of the 19th century, Japan opened its ports to British trade, this inspired designers in many new ways.

Bamboo poles and panels were imported from Japan to be used as a furniture material.

Natural motifs, such ad birds, flowers and even insects were used.

Circular and geometric forms were incorporated into simple, unadorned furniture. Straight lines and undecorated surfaces contrasted with the much more formal, and overstated, Victorian design.

Designers blended British, Chinese and Japanese elements to produce items that both satisfied the public's growing desire for the a desire for the "exotic', but were also relatively inexpensive.

As the 19th century drew to a close, the popularity of chinoiserie style waned.

An even more stylized version chinoiserie saw a resurgence again in the 1920's, with the advent of the Art Deco movement.

More Finds
Here are some other pieces we'll be getting on our shop soon.

If you see something you are interested in before it's listed, let us know.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Our featured Etsy Treasury today, "Morning..", is from Irit Avraham, from Karmi'el, Israel. Irit is the owner of the vintage shop MeshuMash, and the jewelry and fashion shop MoreThanPrettyThings.

Irit opened MeshuMash in 2011. Irit discovered Etsy in 2010, when she was looking for a place to sell her originnals paintings, her main art form at the time.

"Since being a young girl, school craft classes were my favorites. I am excited about many kinds of crafts, using new and old materials.

My vintage shop is one path of this journey, and this adventure brought many wonderful things into my life. I love creating out of new and left over things, flea markets fill me with joy, I have met so many wonderful people in my traveling, and was thrilled by things I thought time had forgotten."

Finding treasures from the past, nostalgic from my childhood, my mother and grandma house. Both were teaching me cooking, sewing, knitting, crocheting. They grew up in a world that didn't have so much, so they found a way to re-use things, transform daily simple stuff into jewelry, for example."

After opening MeshuMash, Irit started creating jewelry, and some knitting and fabric art, combining all the influences she had experienced over the years. In 2013, Irit opened MoreThanPrettyThings, a showcase for her handmade Bohemian jewelry and fashion, upcycled clothing and fashion accessories.

"I meet so many wonderful people while looking for new treasures for the shop [MeshuMash]. Everywhere I go these days, have something for me.

I get inspired by so many things, colors, urban architecture, a leaf on the ground, a story, people.

A special attention is given to the materials and color combinations into a high quality finished product. This is my Fashion Vision for Women of all Ages, its what I like to wear."

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Our featured Etsy Treasury today is a little different. Instead of being curated by an Etsy shop owner, "once upon a dream" is curated by an avid Etsy fan, dmers, of Arch Cape, OR.

An Etsy member since 2007, dmers is passionate about supporting Etsy's many talented artists and shop owners.

"I don't have a shop but I'm crazy about making treasuries!."

Dmers passion for Etsy has even been passed down to her daughter, Ashley Mersereau, who runs the Etsy shop Roots and Wings Jewelry. Ashley creates handcrafted jewelry and art out of her studio in Nehalem, OR.

"I am just now, in my late twenties, beginning to fully identify with the title of 'Artist', but for as long as I can remember I have had my hands in something; drawing, painting, writing, photographing and coloring the world around me."

"I'm the slightly rumpled fellow--wandering through the cosmos with a puzzled/quizzical/out-of-focus look on my face...noticing interesting shapes and contours..thinking about glass and light..lines diverging and converging...the meaning of life.

Originally from Canada, Brian’s brother taught him the nuts and bolts of stained glass art. But Brian’s designs are uniquely his, reflecting nature’s beauty through reclaimed amber beer bottles made into honeycomb jewelry, or dancing-leaf mobiles.

Brian’s specialty is custom-made designs made to order, for anyone from brides to entomologists (his beautiful birds, bees, bugs, and insects are accurately depicted). This is JEWELRY for the home and, as Brian would say, "For your earlobes and clavicle."

"So many little stories...daughters remembering their fathers taking them fishing and selecting fish from my stained glass stringer...a son who recently selected an elm leaf mobile for his parents, as an ode to an elm tree that had to be removed from their backyard...the nurse who caught an enormous catfish, only to lose the snapshot after the catfish was released, asking to immortalize this moment in art glass...a prose poet/wood worker/bookkeeper remembers an encounter with a diminutive owl, and collaborates with little sketches and natural history snippets to realize that memory by modifying one of my existing designs...the entomologist who requested an anatomically correct female deer tick...and on and on."

Cleaver White, owner of Layton and Everett Vintage, is a self-described, "Genealogist by day, vintage collector by night." Cleaver's goal is to ensure the customer is always happy.

"One of my first jobs was working for a national retail chain, pushing products that were not made with care, and trying to get buyers to open store credit cards. I lasted three weeks before walking away, disillusioned by the chain store mentality.

Etsy has restored my faith that shopping can, and should be, a lovely experience. My hope is every individual who buys an items from Layton and Everett, has a smile on their face, and feels happy, when they open their mail and see the piece they selected"

Along with fantastic vintage finds like books, china and more, Cleaver has amassed an amazing collection of vintage costume jewelry.

"When I moved to Manhattan, my collection of Trifari pieces grew and continues growing. What started as just a personal treasure hunt, then moved into collecting Jomaz and Boucher pieces. There is such detailed artistry behind each piece. The line of a piece that is designed by a master, such as Alfred Philippe, makes you stop and stare…"

Through Leslie Zemenek Jewelry, Leslie Zemenek shares her handmade, bold, metal and gemstone jewelry. Leslie has been making art since, "I was old enough to hold a pencil."

"When I was 12 years old I read a quote from Oscar Wilde that changed my life: “One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.” I took it very seriously. During most of my life I either made art, wore art or lived artfully, but only recently did I figure out how to do it all at the same time.

I started dreaming my designs in my sleep, more than I could possibly produce in my waking hours. I can't say whether I'm having more fun at night dreaming new designs or during the day working at my bench making them real. And I'm not even sure it matters!"